How Do You Educate Your Special Needs Child for the Real World When they Grow Up?

Educating your special-needs child is extremely important, if they are to ever grow up and participate in the real world. There are many learning disabilities that children will grow out of, and they will be able to overcome in order to live normal lives, active lives, and participate fine in society. Of course, there are some things which are almost impossible to predict, which just goes to prove that your special-needs child's education never really stops.

The other day I was discussing this with a very nice couple whose special need teen was not really cut out to go to college, and they didn't graduate HS in the regular class, nevertheless they got the appropriate education for their particular child, and they would have to continually work with their offspring to prepare them for the real world. Luckily, there are other social services available to help them through this process, but life will always be somewhat of a challenge.

There was an interesting piece not long ago, on FOX News titled; "TSA Admits 'Bad Judgment' After Disabled Man Subjected to Airport Pat-Down" which was published on June 10, 2011. The news segment noted;

"A Detroit father told FOX that the TSA singled out his special-needs son for a pat-down while the family was headed to Disney World. The TSA admitted was a case of bad judgment. The Detroit Metro Airport took his son Drew, 29, and asked him about the padding underneath his pants, which turned out to be adult diapers. Drew, who is severely mentally disabled, had trouble understanding the agents' orders because his family said he has the mental capacity of a 2-year-old."

When the father intervened to explain, the TSA folks said to step back, let them do their job, they knew what they were doing, and not to interfere. Perhaps, you can understand how difficult this was for the family, but it gets back to my main point, and that is; just because your child can understand how to perhaps count money, dress themselves, do limited cooking, and perhaps live on their own, doesn't mean they are prepared for all the things that might occur in their lives.

In this case it turned out to be quite an event, and perhaps a traumatic one for the mentally disabled individual. Maybe the biggest problem here is that many people in our society do not understand how tough it is, but maybe some good will come out of this story in the news, and remind us all, that these special needs folks are also members of our society, and we need to look out for them as well. Indeed I hope you will please consider all this and think on it.

Lance Winslow is a retired Founder of a Nationwide Franchise Chain, and now runs the Online Think Tank. Lance Winslow believes writing 23,500 articles by mid-day on June 23, 2011 is going to be difficult because all the letters on his keyboard are now worn off..

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Medicaid Waivers for Children With Special Needs

Special Needs children can present a whole host of challenges completely aside from their actual physical or mental impairments. They may present a physical danger to themselves that requires constant supervision or they may need living assistance to help them with daily activities such as eating. Often these children have significant difficulties communicating and moving about their environment which then results in significant anxiety disorders. Physical and mental delays can be further exacerbated by the sensory disorders that often accompany the original disorder.

Autism, which is one of the leading disorders among children with disabilities, affects 1 in 110 children, or currently 730,000 children (up to the age of 21). Autistic children and those considered to be in the spectrum, face sensory challenges that prevent them from learning alongside other typical children. An aversion to sound for instance can cause that child to shut down when placed in a noisy school environment and as a result block out any potentially beneficial input. In the case of intellectually challenged children, just wandering out of the house could be disastrous. They often don't know their own strength and can present a danger and challenge to potential caregivers - so the typical avenues of childcare and daycare become out of the question. In these situations, a special care facility, or in-home provider often becomes necessary.

The costs for this type of care and accommodation can be exorbitant if not prohibitive. This is where the Medicaid waivers come into play. While the usual category of Medicaid eligibility for children is a parent who is below a particular federal threshold of poverty, special needs children are assessed on need alone if they personally have no income or assets/resources. The family financial status is not a factor.

There are three main waivers that generally apply to special needs children including the ID, DD, and the EDCD waivers. Each of the waivers exist to provide an alternative to institutional care. The DD Waiver is for the developmentally disabled child and would include children with physical disabilities that limit their functioning. The DD waiver is a first-come first-served waiver that can take many years to be implemented. These waiting lists are a sticking point for many individuals simply because if the child needs services today, then why are they not getting them for many years? The reason is funding.

The ID waiver is also known as the MR waiver, Intellectually Disabled and Mentally Retarded. This waiver requires an IQ test result of below 70. There is another test that can sometimes be used in its placed called the Adaptive Behavior test. The ID waiver too has a waiting list; however this waiver is applied based on need and emergency need will trump those waiting on the list. Again, due to funding the wait can be many years.

Lastly is the EDCD waiver (Elderly or Disabled with Consumer-Directed Services) which was originally designed to provide services and benefits to the elderly who would otherwise have needed institutionalization. However, children (re: children, not family) that meet the financial criteria can apply as disabled if they meet the skilled nursing and physical supervision requirements of the Waiver. The consumer directed services aspect of the waiver allows for the client or clients guardian, to direct the care by hiring the care-givers themselves without agency intervention. There are guidelines, and the provider cannot be a parent, or someone that lives in the home and they must meet state licensing requirements. Most qualifying children in need fall into this Waiver category and it is implemented immediately. Services begin as soon as paperwork is completed unlike the two previous waivers which can have extremely long waiting lists.

The Medicaid waiver system is administered by the states and their individual agencies. This is an important fact to consider as moving from one state to another will negate the clients status and the client would have to reapply and wait on a new list. As the administrators, the states individually determine the types of services that they offer. These services can change from one legislative period to another based on budgets and of course politics. Check with the local DSS, heath department, or consumer directed services bureau in your area to find out more information regarding these Waivers.

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Parents of Special Needs Children Need to Advocate for Their Child's Rights

Children with special needs face unique and difficult challenges on a daily basis. Your child's rights are protected under federal and state laws. I recommend you get copies of all the federal, state and local laws that apply to special needs children. All children, but especially children with special needs, need advocacy. Remember, under the laws our children are afforded the right to a free and appropriate public education. Appropriate meaning you can not always put a child with a disability in a main stream classroom. With the state of the economy the school system is cutting back and getting services for your child keeps getting harder and harder. Special needs kids need an education plan tailored to them.

As parents, you must advocate for your child's rights in the public school system. There are several online sources the National Center for learning Disabilities website, it explains your child's rights. The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA.gov) is a good source. On both websites you can learn more about the Individual with Disabilities Act (IDEA). You probably have more rights than you realize. The more information you have the more services you will b able to advocate for.

Adding further wood to the fire, special education law is extremely complicated and confusing. A lot of parents get discouraged by all the information out there but there are offices that can help you. Most counties have a disabilities services office. You should be able to find more information about your child's rights, workshops that you can go too. In some instants they can assign you a case worker to help you advocate for your child. You will hit a lot of roadblocks before you reach the right people to talk to. Keep asking questions and you will persevere.

It has been my own experience in advocating for my child that knowledge is power. If you don't know the laws and what your child is entitled to, how are you going to convince the public school system to pay for extra services? It is cheaper for them to tell you no, they have thousands of kids to worry about. Don't take no for an answer, make the school district show you why they can not provide a service. In the same aspect, you need to be able to show why your child needs a specific service. The only person that will be concerned about your child is you. The squeaky wheel gets the oil!

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